ARBco

@j-k

Julian Kay ⁕ Neurodiv TTRPG Designer/Writer ⁕ Designer: Mutants in the Now, Faith & Sails ⁕ Freelancer: WotC, Green Ronin, Pelgrane, and 2x Ennie-winner Planewalker! ⁕ TMNT SME, FYI ⁕ Avatar by @retrodynamics.bsky.social ⁕

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ARBco@j-k· 24d

Updatin' the ol' business card for GenCon.

ARBco@j-k· 25d

Mutants in the Now is THE retro-modern, mutant animal, role-playing game, and we've got a new book out dealing with new pets, genetic modification, and fascist villains! Available at jk-games.square.site for physical, and DriveThruRPG.com, itch.io, and rpg-trader.com for digital!

A promo image for Julian Kay's Mutants in the Now, featuring Pachen, a red panda swordswoman with tarp for clothing, a trash can lid for a hat, and with a stalk of bamboo in her teeth.

ARBco@j-k· 26d

Time to listen to the sounds of nature.

A screenshot of a preview for a Mount Fuji Dusk Drive video on Youtube that advertises "Natural Car Sounds".

ARBco@j-k· 29d

MUTANTS FROM THE ARCHIVES: PET SHOP BLUES is now available! It's got playable dogs, cats, and every sort of pet you can imagine; and some you haven't! With new character types, villains, and an illustrated section on genemodded species, it's ready to adopt! Links below- #furry #scalie #tmnt #ttrpg

The cover to Julian Kay's Mutants from the Archives: Pet Shop Blues, featuring an "anime ninja" mutant dachshund leaping forward, a "bodega knight" mutant ragdoll cat holding a sign and a meat slicer as weapons, and a "dinosaur cosplay" mutant parrot with a dinosaur skull over its head, scythe claws at the end of its wings, and a megaphone to roar with. The book is subtitled "Archive 1 for the retro-modern, mutant-animal rpg!"

The back cover of Mutants from the Archives, featuring four villainous mutant dog mercenaries, and the following text:

"No knobs, no masters.

You’ve been mutated. Move beyond fish flakes and kibble, leave the pet life behind and seize your anthropomorphic future.
This book gives dogs their day and lets cats out of the bag, with over a hundred new breed options from Abyssinians to Toygers, Afghans to Xōlōitzcuintin, randomized mixed-breeds, and every species of canid and felid not previously covered, like Pallas’s cats or red wolves! And we add new pet-centric backgrounds, skills, fighting styles, and even rules for centering them in a campaign by playing a pack or a colony.
It’s not just four-footed carnivores; pocket pets, aquarium fish, caged birds, and many more get their turn. And it’s not just the everyday: we introduce genemods including the Guinea Big, strangeness in the Pittsburgh cold storage cat, and otherworldlies like the Flickerhund.
And we explore the state-of-the-art in gene modification, with genemods getting both their sales pitch and terrible secrets exposed, along with the legally grey practice of zoohacking.
You don’t get to have it easy, though! The Invasive Species Service’s hunt for mutants is bolstered by the Soiled Boys, their fascist footsoldiers. Also, the Alpha Squad arrives, a group of mutant mercenary dogs toxified by Internet maschismo. But to fight them, it’s-
time to get unleashed!"

ARBco@j-k· Jul 10

Mutants in the Next and both Mutants in the Mini now have updated files on itch.io and drivethrurpg.com, as featured for the Pet Shop Blues Kickstarter! These feature a variety of rules clarifications and text corrections also available in recent physical printings of all three.

ARBco@j-k· Jul 10

I'm aware Gandhi had some notable flaws but, um- #ttrpg

An excerpt from Rifts Dimension Book 12: Dimensional Outbreak:

"This means people controlled by Sparklits love all kinds of physical and emotional thrills, including those from physical action and combat, duels, verbal and physical confrontations, alcohol, drugs, sex and rock 'n roll. Thus, they tend to be unpredictable, short tempered, vindictive, violent, vengeful, brutal, threatening and cruel. *Think Gandhi as an abusive spouse and brawler.*"

ARBco@j-k· Jul 9

Ha ha, those expressions- #usagiyojimbo

A conversation from the comic Usagi Yojimbo as Usagi, the eponymous rabbit ronin and his friend, Kitsune, a fox entertainer-thief, have a conversation over a meal:

Usagi: "Remember, you promised to return to jail as soon as you have eaten!"
Kitsune: "Why, of course, Usagi-SAN!"
Usagi: "I'm going to hold you to that promise!"
Kitsune (shocked): "You hurt me, Usagi! Have I ever LIED to you?"
Usagi (furious): "Yes. FIFTY-FOUR TIMES."
Kitsune: "Well, I solemnly promise to turn myself over to Inspector Ishida!"
Usagi: "You had better, or you will spend much more than a single night in jail if you are captured."
Kitsune (coyly): "But you would not turn me in, would you, Usagi, dear? Hmmm...?"

ARBco@j-k· Jul 8

Dense cyborgs breaking shit with their weight has been a part of Shirow's work from very early on.

The wraparound cover to Masamune Shirow's manga "Appleseed Book 1", where a heavily-armed cyborg slams down on a roof, causing it to crumple around his feet while he cradles his human partner.

ARBco@j-k· Jul 8

I really need to do more shitposts as game writing. #ttrpg

An excerpt from Mutants in the Mini: Old School Renaissance that reads:

"For over a decade, many roleplayers have sought out the 'Old-School Renaissance'. Popular as both a design philosophy and aesthetic style, it refers to games that reference the Italian Renaissance of the 15th and 16th century, like GURPS Swashbuckling, GURPS Renaissance Venice, or GURPS Scarlet Pimpernel. So without any further research or vital context, we finally offer Mutants in the Now's revolutionary take!"

ARBco@j-k· Jul 3

A shot from the Japanese TV show GameCenter DX where a developer on Dynasty Warriors is being interviewed, and he says "These characters use fans as weapons.", showing two headshots of characters (one is Zhuge Liang and I forget the other). The header reads "Weakest Character."

The developer adds, "Their weapons aren't as flashy compared to others."

The interviewer comments, "You can't win with a fan."

The developer replies, "Yes. That's why they shoot lasers.", while the explanatory text pops up:

"Weak characters use lasers."

ARBco@j-k· Jul 1

I was hoping there might be a glimpse of the rules for "Teeth" but it turns out it's a repurposed vintage copy of a "Man From UNCLE" card game.

A man picks up a card game box that says, "TEETH" and has an anthropomorphic tooth giving a thumbs-up, from the Apple streaming show "Widows Bay".

The card came can be opened but nothing is inside except a pair of pliers. A glimpse of rules can be seen in the interior of the lid.

An interior shot of the Milton-Bradley Man From UNCLE card game, showing the rules inside the front lid.

Another shot of the game, showing its front cover (featuring the titular Man firing a gun and shooting at enemy agents), along with cards topped with his face, a small card bin and tokens in red, white, and blue.

ARBco@j-k· Jul 1

Paid in exposure.

A photo of two golden retrievers lying in parallel curls in a fenced dog run in the sunlight (with shade available, but they've chosen the sun), surrounded by greenery.

Another shot of the dogs simultaneously looking up at the camera.

ARBco@j-k· Jul 1

T-shirt for a long-defunct online shooter.

A red t-shirt with an anthropomorphized cartoon bacon strip and shotgun shell hi-fiving. The shotgun shell is wearing shades.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 22

Mutants in the Now "Revision 2" is now available on itch.io, drivethrurpg.com, and Bits & Mortar for digital owners! This new printing incorporates numerous species and rules updates from supplements to minimize the need for cross-referencing. Let's keep on mutating! #ttrpg #tmnt #furry #scalie

A slice of the back cover of Mutants in the Now ("Let's Mutate All Over Again!"), with "Revision 2!" added in big block letters.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 21

"AImish", for those in need of an irony poisoning.

An ad for a tree and stump removal service, "Amish owned and operated", featuring an an "AI" generated Amish cartoon man lightly rubbing a tree with a chainsaw.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 19

Mattie Franklin, Spider-Girl, was fifteen when Bryne wrote and penciled these panels.

Panels of Mattie Franklin, Spider-Girl, forcibly planting a kiss on an unmasked Spider-Man while on an extremely skimpy costume.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 18

In panels from the X-Men comic, an alien man in a wraparound visor declares "Behold-- the JEAN BOMB! It possesses the power to fatally disrupt any any and all relationships, personal, professional, organic, inorganic, macro-, micro-, whatever, down to the most probably sub-atomic molecular networks." We see the "bomb" is a simulacrum of the character Jean Grey. "Her mere presence will dissolve the most loving bonds, prompt brother to slay brother, and boon companions to tear themselves apart."

In short, an unsubtle commentary by writer Chris Claremont on how the resurrection of the character Jean Grey by other authors had upended his own plans for certain characters and their development.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 14

Going to tell people from now on that I'm not slacking off, I'm simply being an "efficient hunter".

A clip from a website that says "Barn owls are very efficient hunters. It is suspected that they spend mech of their time loafing."

ARBco@j-k· Jun 7

Did you know that the original Crazy Taxi featured "Them and Us", a song from the album The Gray Race, which directly follows the title track? And the title track has these eerie lyrics:

The lyrics of the song are displayed as:

The framework of the world is black and white,
The infrastructure builders flex their might,
Turning true emotion into digital expression:
One by one we all fall down.

The gray race shrivels, trapped inside,
The world it creates is black and white. [2x]

The perpetual destructive motion machine
Began to chart a course never before seen,
Turning raw compassion into fields of plus and minus:
One by one we all give in.

The gray race shrivels, trapped inside,
The world it creates is black and white. [2x]

I'd swear there were times when I was someone else,
A person with determination and knowledge of the self,
But you flattened me to rubble and now I can see
That I'm just faded negative of the image I used to be.

Just a shadow. And that's our dilemma.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 7

From my unreleased design backlog: #ttrpg #tmnt #furry

A statblock for Matschie's Tree-Kangaroo for the Mutants in the Now role-playing game that states "The Boongarry is a bulky, bearish climber found in New Guinea, leaping long distances between trees".

ARBco@j-k· Jun 7

Bad Religion should really just let Crazy Taxi use their songs at this... what's that? Sega's been using generative tools on- WELL NEVERMIND THEN-

Two panels of a woman with a sour look on her tables flipping a table with one hand.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 5

What to say when anybody claims videogames are a waste of time:

A pair of panels where a thug threatens Kiyoko, a young thief as he swings a sword at her. The first panel has him cursing, "Stay still, you!" and she says, "I've fought--" In the second panel, she whacks him on the head as she exclaims, "-- zombies! Ha!", while he exclaims, "Ow!" and drops the sword.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 4

How'd all these boxes end up in here? I wonder what's inside them? Maybe I can find a way to sell it, whatever it is- #ttrpg #tmnt #furry #scalie

A photo of a back of a white van in which at least eight boxes can be seen stacked with the label of "48 Hour Books" on them.

ARBco@j-k· Jun 1

Mutants From the Archives: Pet Shop Blues has entered the physical realm! It's at the printers and copies should be going out to backers shortly. More details at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/arb... #ttrpg #tmnt #furry #scalie

A photo of the cover of Mutants From the Archives, Pet Shop Blues, featuring a mutant ragdoll cat "bodega knight", a dachshund ninja, and a sun conure parrot dressed in dino-bone cosplay.

A photo of the back cover of Mutants From the Archives, Pet Shop Blues, featuring four dog mercenaries wielding guns; a chihuahua, a griffon bruxellois, a chow chow, and a Norwegian ludehund.

An interior shot of Mutants From the Archives: Pet Shop Blues, featuring a mutant brine shrimp ("sea monkey") on the left and a scorpion / poodle mix (a "scorpidoodle") on the right.

ARBco@j-k· May 23

What the hell, Spidey- #marvel #comics

Spider-Man sticks to a wall, looking two teams of kids playing football in an empty apartment commons. He says "Well, well, some of the local young gentleurchins are tossing the ol' oblong pigskin around. Are there no windows left to break? No old folks left to mug? Hmph. Listen to me, I'm just cranky because I haven't had a good day. Man, they're really going at it. Ball's probably full of *crack*."

ARBco@j-k· May 18

So, it's about that time to sign up for GenCon events! Here's where I'll be: a thread.

ARBco@j-k· May 10

TIL that April O'Neil is forklift certified. #tmnt

A screenshot from the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon where Raphael the ninja is coughing in smoke as he says into his communicator "Would you happen to know how to run a forklift?"

Another screenshot from the 1987 TMNT cartoon showing the Ninja Turtles' fan in a warehouse where a bunch of boxes are scattered around. Leonardo leans out the window, saying, "I don't believe it.", as April O'Neil uses a forklift to clear away the last box blocking their path.

Another screenshot with a close-up of Leonardo as he says, "You really do know how to operate a forklift."

Another screenshot as April O'Neil waves an arm from the forklift cockpit with a smile, saying, "I'm just a '90s kinda gal."

ARBco@j-k· May 7

Great minds etc. #tmnt

Two ninja turtles (Raphael and Michelangelo) browse a newstand in the 1987 cartoon. Michelangelo reads a comic while Raphael asks, "Mushroom Man? Super Wombat?"

Raphael finishes with "How can you read this junk?"

In a screenshot from the 1987 TMNT cartoon, Shredder, a ninja villain covered in blades, raises his arms over his head in frustration, declaring, "I'm going to dip those two in mutagen-"

And finishes, clenching his fists. "- and turn them into wombats!"

ARBco@j-k· May 5

Mutants From the Archives: Pet Shop Blues, the newest expansion for the retro-modern, mutant-animal, role-playing game is now out as a pre-press PDF for backers to go over while we prepare it for its Kickstarter print run! www.kickstarter.com/projects/arb... #ttrpg #tmnt #furry #scalie

The back cover of Pet Shop Blues that reads:

"No knobs, no masters.

You’ve been mutated. Move beyond fish flakes and kibble, leave the pet life behind and seize your anthropomorphic future.
This book gives dogs their day and lets cats out of the bag, with over a hundred new breed options from Abyssinians to Toygers, Afghans to Xōlōitzcuintin, randomized mixed-breeds, and every species of canid and felid not previously covered, like Pallas’s cats or red wolves! And we add new pet-centric backgrounds, skills, fighting styles, and even rules for centering them in a campaign by playing a pack or a colony.
It’s not just four-footed carnivores; pocket pets, aquarium fish, caged birds, and many more get their turn. And it’s not just the everyday: we introduce genemods including the Guinea Big, strangeness in the Pittsburgh cold storage cat, and otherworldlies like the Flickerhund.
And we explore the state-of-the-art in gene modification, with genemods getting both their sales pitch and terrible secrets exposed, along with the legally grey practice of zoohacking.
You don’t get to have it easy, though! The Invasive Species Service’s hunt for mutants is bolstered by the Soiled Boys, their fascist footsoldiers. Also, the Alpha Squad arrives, a group of mutant mercenary dogs toxified by Internet maschismo. But to fight them, it’s-

Time to get unleashed!"

Below that are four commando dogs; a chihuahua in a Hawallian shirt with a revolver, a Griffon Bruxellois with a submachinegun and tactical wear, a chow-chow with a tight shirt and a rocket launcher (holding several rockets in his other hand), and a Norwegian lundehund crouched in a cloak with a hunting rifle.

ARBco@j-k· May 4

Young bun disturbed by my yard work today. Guessing they were several weeks old, didn't run right away.